And what are all the things that puzzle me? I listed some of them a few years back. Mostly they still apply.
- The obsession with celebrities
- Tattoos
- Tongue-piercing
- Stag and hen weekends
- The prejudice against public services
- Posting naked selfies on Facebook
- Wearing a face veil
- Having private quarrels in public
- Personalised number plates
- Going mental on a plane
- Nouvelle cuisine
- Barbecues
- Thongs*
- Cosmetic surgery
- Weddings on the other side of the world
- Gangnam
- Letting kids run wild
- Teeth whitening
- Designer labels
- Lads' mags
Luckily I've never been on a stag weekend (and never been invited to one). It's hard to imagine anything I'd enjoy less. And thankfully I grew up at a time when naked selfies were unheard of. When nakedness in general was something to be studiously avoided. I also grew up at a time when barbecues were a quaint custom in far-flung countries like Australia, where rain was virtually unheard-of. Somehow they caught on in the wet and gloomy UK.
*that's the underwear and not the Aussie footwear
**an estimated 25 per cent or more of bottled water is just tap water
I agree with a good share of what you have here.
ReplyDeleteBarbecues... they have been around forever here, particularly in the south, starting from before our civil war. I remember going to one in the 1960s in a Houston, Texas suburb. Now there are a lot of restaurants based on the barbecue cuisine.
Bottled water. I like a cold bottle of water straight out of the fridge. I now have 6 heavy glass bottles that I use just for that... and I fill them straight from the tap. Our tap water is GREAT!
Mike: I think tap water in some places is barely drinkable but in most places it's just fine.
DeleteNick, I agree with many things on your list, but not all. I do not understand all the fuss about celebrities these days. Admittedly growing up in the mid-60s I liked certain musical groups.
ReplyDeleteThe obsession many people have to post their lives on Facebook or other social media is bewildering to me.
Tattoos are nice for other people and I've seen some detailed and lovely ones. Cell phone calls in stores especially grocery store lines are annoying and mostly unnecessary. For some cultures, wearing a veil is important, so not sure why it would be upsetting to you.
I have enjoyed barbecues, but not children running wild. Bottled water is convenient when traveling.
Beatrice: I like small discreet tattoos, like a wee bird on someone's neck. But why people want half their body inked I don't know. I'm not upset by face veils, I just wonder what the point is (apart from religion of course).
DeleteI’ve grown used to tattoos, except when it’s huge and on the back or arms of a woman wearing a beautiful dress. It really ruins a wedding dress for me.
ReplyDeleteBottled water is super convenient when traveling. We love barbecues here, probably because we can only be outdoors half the year.
Bijoux: A huge tattoo certainly ruins a wedding dress. Or an ordinary sleeveless dress for that matter. Yes, bottled water is handy for travelling, but I just use an old bottle refilled with tap water.
DeleteIf I ever had a tattoo, it would be to honor Elizabeth Warren: Nevertheless, she persisted.
ReplyDeleteJoanne: She would be a very good choice.
DeleteThongs are for wearing underneath tight jeans to dispel the fear of the dreaded VPL. Though I am no longer bothered about such things.
ReplyDeleteI have a store of bottled water just in case of an emergency, but I don't buy it regularly.
Teeth whitening can damage tooth enamel - but I understand why people do it.
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Ms Scarlet: Some people have such dazzlingly white teeth, I assume they've either had some high-powered whitening treatment or they're dentures.
DeleteTo think that at my age (I am considerably younger than you) I contemplate rather more complex questions (of the philosophical kind) whilst you waste your time on the inconsequential. This is not a criticism, just an observation.
ReplyDeleteTo pick the one worthy on your strange list: Veils. Not to be "puzzled" by. To be welcomed. Veils are godsends. You know, black ones. Lace. Ah, the mystery! Think Venice. Think Paris. Think Bois de Bologne. Think funeral.
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Ursula: I do contemplate complex philosophical questions. But I doubt if my blogmates would want to wade through my laborious deliberations. In any case, as I've said before, one person's trivia is another person's weighty issue.
DeleteI'm pretty much with you on everything. I've been disgusted watching the increasing obsession with celebrity through the decades from when I was young and what it's done to our culture. Many people treated as celebrities today are hardly what I'd consider as such at all.
ReplyDeleteBarbecues I've enjoyed -- nice to be outside in good weather; also oven doesn't heat up the kitchen. Often men become more involved in the meal preparation which can be nice for the women. It's sorta an outdoor picnic -- can be a fun casual change of scene. Tailgate parties in parking lots around sporting events have never appealed to me but I can see reasons why they might to some.
Bottled water is a waste of money for many unless they live where water purity or health safety is a risk. There was a city in our U.S. state of Michigan that was found to have lead in the water, especially damaging to children. Though finally corrected lots of concern across our country probably prompts caution in many who buy bottled drinking water. Otherwise, it's just a nice convenience to carry in car or to have in other specific situations.
I think tattoos are gross, damaging the largest body organ, our skin, and most other piercings (nose, lips, tongue, cheek, eyebrows) though I have pierced ear lobes - 1 each ear. Sporting tattoos on skin is hardly my idea of art as I've been told some consider them to be. They're totally unattractive, even ugly to me. I find tattoos on performers (males and females) very distracting, especially some of the singers (Lady Gaga) who I like otherwise.
Joared: There seem to be more and more people who are simply famous for being famous.
DeleteTailgate parties aren't a thing in the UK. Neither are yard sales.
I read about the lead contaminated water in Flint - that was disgraceful.
I also find tattoos on performers distracting. I daresay tattoos will eventually become unfashionable again.
That list puzzles me too. And bottled water is a rip off and I never order for it choosing to drink ordinary water which is also always available for free.
ReplyDeleteRamana: I must have had only 2 or 3 bottles of water in my entire life. And I see no need to carry water around with me.
DeleteI remember the Hibachi, the forerunner to the BBQ, that was in the sixties and considered the coolest thing. Cooking outdoors. I agree with most of your list. But a lot of the stuff is just screaming "Look at me!" or following the lemmings.
ReplyDeleteXO
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www: Yes, a lot of the things I mention are attempts to look "special" in some way.
DeleteI only have my ears pierced. I don't have any tattoos. I do however like a BBQ. Especially if the people having it have a nice yard to have it in. I've had BBQ's here at my place but we don't really have the space to sit outside so we bbq the food and bring it in. It's a nice time to get together with family or friends and have a good time.
ReplyDeleteMary: There's plenty of room in our garden for a barbecue, but Jenny and I just never saw the attraction.
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